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Sekiro Saki
Sekiro Saki '''or '''Sekiro the Dreadful '''was an 18th century former Wushu Clan member and served as their Daimyo for the latter half of the century. He led them to their greatest territorial annexation and expansion yet and defeated the Eternal Knighthood’s forces on multiple grand battlefields. Sekiro managed to kill not only one but two Eternal Kings in his lifetime, a feat no one has achieved since and it earned him the moniker, King Slayer among others. Considered to be the greatest fighter, martial artist, acrobat and overall warrior the Clan ever produced, second after Wushu himself although some would place Sekiro above him due to his achievements and ability to use every weapon on disposal. Many would believe that the Wushu Clan would hold him in high approval among the greatest Daimyos ever but the Clan does not share this sentiment as he broke all of the Clan’s codes and rules of conduct and attempted to change their belief system to fit his, something that the Clan appropriates as blasphemous and sacrilegious. Thus they remember him as Sekiro the Dreadful that brought dishonor and prideful humiliation to the Clan and the mandate of heaven title, the Daimyo. Biography '''Early Life In his early years, Sekiro would fight and duel any willing in a Japanese village on the street, for money to survive. He beat every challenger that came his way until a local Wushu member heard of a young boy’s exploits and prowess in dueling. He came and challenged the young Sekiro attempting to teach the boy a lesson in humility, but Sekiro defeated him handily in a one on one sword duel at the age of twelve and this only bolstered his pride and ego. A day later when news of a skilled boy reached the Kyoto Temple, the Council sent one of their own, Master Hanan, to reach and bring the boy to the Temple for training. Hanan was successful in getting Sekiro safely to the Temple when an angry mob wished him harm. There at the Temple, Sekiro trained and excelled in all martial arts trials and physical. He was atop his class in almost everything by a considerable margin. Sekiro was excelling at his training at a historical rate, so much so that the Council members had never seen such a prodigy before and some were beginning to think he was even Wushu reincarnated. And his potential had never been recorded before either and many were excited for the possibilities he would deliver them in their war with the Eternal Knighthood, but others feared what his abilities might lead to if he were to go down an evil path, among them Hanan, the man who brought Sekiro to the Temple in the first place. Disciple Rank and seat on the Council Elevated to the rank of Disciple at the incredibly young age of 18, the youngest out of anyone in the Clan’s history, Sekiro was already well known within the Clan and among its members but after this, his name had become embedded. At this time the law of having to hold the rank of Master to have a seat on the Council was not yet put in place and therefore, Sekiro attained a seat on the Council at the age of 20, also the youngest out of any in the Clan’s history. The rule of holding the rank of Master to be rewarded a seat on the Council was later put in place because of him and would be named The Sekiro Law. During the course of his time on the Council, Sekiro distinguished himself as the most skilled and exalted adept of the sword in the Clan, defeating everyone he faced in sparring even all fellow Council members who were his seniors and had more experience than him. However, he did not hold the title of Kensei that was bestowed upon the most accomplished swordsman of Japan. Due to the esteem of the title, only one could bear it at any given time. A man by the name of Yoshiaka Nagaoka, a descendant of the historical Yoshiaka school, was the one who held the title and was a teacher at a Kyoto Training Academy for young rōnin. Angered and disrespected at the fact that a teacher was the one to hold the title, in a famous encounter, Sekiro marched down to the academy and challenged Nagaoka. He accepted and they dueled in front of Nagaoka’s students, and in attendance was also the shōgun at the time and a couple of landlords from the area. Sekiro defeated Nagaoka and killed him as well as per their agreement, they allowed for each other to take the other's life. He was granted the title of Kensei subsequently and the shōgun also granted him the old title of “Unrivaled Under Heaven”, something Sekiro derived pleasure from and left the academy in high spirit. After this bout, his name would start to sprinkle across Japan and the other Clans. The Daimyo After sitting on the Council for two years, Sekiro grew impatient with the Clan’s stagnant evolution since the Motion of Fate, the invasion of the 2nd Eternal King, Sir George Arthur. The years afterward were ones of mostly peace as the 3rd and 4th Eternal Kings, Sir Henry Arthur and Sir Richard Arthur, implemented a more diplomatic regime that was one of reparation, recuperation, and archeology as Sir George had annexed a large amount of territory for the Knighthood, henceforth there was no need for Henry to march into battle as much. These centuries of mostly peaceful relations allowed the Clan to regain their losses and grow yet again, amassing a large rank of armed forces, but the Clan did not wish to engage in another war with the Knighthood and kept to themselves. As a result, they were limited to their smallest territorial control up to date, something Sekiro would like to change. He challenged the current sitting Daimyo, Master Huin, to a duel for the title, a request that shocked everyone as it was not illegal but none had dared to do so in the Clan’s entire history. Almost forced to accept for his own honor, Huin dueled Sekiro in the Chamber of Spirit and swiftly lost to him as Sekiro sliced him across the abdomen with his dual katanas, granting him a slow death while Sekiro ascended to the seat of Daimyo. With the entire Council and the Clan watching, Sekiro proclaimed a new era had come, one where he would vanquish the Knighthood and obtain the land that rightfully belonged to the Clan. In words that would come to be remembered and chanted in his time as Daimyo, the entire Clan applauded and praised his name as they believed he would lead them to what destiny had planned for them. Sekiro became the Daimyo at the age of 22, the youngest ever and no one really even came close to it again. Master Hanan along with Master Huin’s former Hands, Ah-Yeon and Heyoon, found it impeccably disrespectful that the Clan would be in such an uproar as their former Daimyo laid dead. It seemed like they were the only ones that felt that this was all wrong and that this was not what destiny originally had in store for them. The Conquerer Assuming the title of Daimyo and position of Military Commander, something that Daimyos did not usually do unless forced to, Sekiro mobilized all able-bodied Wushu members and inducted also former shōgun and forgotten warriors of Japan and the rest of Asia and formed the largest army the Clan had ever seen. With him as Daimyo, he set out on his destined crusade with his army with the intention of reclaiming their former territory, starting with Songhua. Over four years of battling and conquering through Asia, Sekiro had regained most of the Clan’s lost territory, but he wanted more. Desiring to exterminate the Knighthood, Sekiro made way to one of the Knighthood’s most important Castles, St Peter’s Castle on a reclusive island off the coast of Spain. Many former national leaders, explorers, and even the Wushu Clan twice, have tried to infiltrate the island however no one could even get close to it as it was well protected, but Sekiro was ruthless enough to try. It took two months but the Wushu forces were able to create a way and land on the island unscathed. With Sekiro leading the way, they demolished the castle and retrieved a highly valuable artifact. Before they left, Sekiro executed the chief Knighthood Priest of the castle, Rev. Simon Hammond, but not without objection from Hanan, who did not find it right to kill an unarmed man that was not a warrior, Sekiro did not listen and needlessly impaled the Reverend and left his corpse in the ruins. Due to the importance of this castle and the years of conquering, word of “Ryū Iki“ or (translated from Japanese to English) “Dragon Breath’s” onslaught reached Sir Richard Arthur at the Knighthood’s Main Castle in England. Manic at the fact that his castle was ravaged and his good friend Simon Hammond was viciously executed by Sekiro, as it was an unwritten honor rule between the two factions that their Priests and Sages were not to be killed if caught by either the Knighthood or the Clan, Sir Richard put on his battle armor and retrieved his royal battle sword and went off to eliminate the threat that was Sekiro. Fully aware that Sir Richard was on his way with his Table of Nobles, Sekiro prepared to meet his forces at the border of Turkey and Syria as that was the ancient route that former Eternal Kings Sir James and George Arthur took on their excursions to Asia, knowing this, Sekiro could catch him off guard, an advantage he intended to utilize. Making haste, Sekiro and the Wushu army moved by sea to the border and met with the Eternal King’s forces head-on, culminating in the largest battle in both the Knighthood’s and Clan’s history, a battle that saw Sekiro kill the 4th Eternal King Sir Richard Arthur, and drive off the remaining Knights including the Eternal Guardian back to their castle in England. This battle earned him the moniker of ”Akai Shi” or “Red Death”, as the massacre and pool of blood he left behind was egregious and horrific and many of the survivors were left scarred. The battle would later be named, The Day of a Thousand Blood Drops. After this crucial victory, Sekiro returned to the Kyoto Temple in bold spirit and high honor and received a hero’s welcome by the Temple’s inhabitants. His name and exploits would echo throughout Japan and many praised him with tales told and songs sung of his greatness. Emboldened by this, Sekiro would prepare and amass another army for another crusade against the Knighthood, and this time he intended to exterminate them for good. Dominion and Rebellion By 1790, Sekiro and his army outgrew that of his previous and so did Sekiro’s ambitions and eminence. It was at this time that Sekiro created a regiment within his Wushu army that compiled all of the most elite and loyal warriors in the ranks handpicked by Sekiro himself. He called these warriors his Axe Wolves or the Ono Ōkami. They became his faithful subserviants and concealed their identities with face masks in a display of ultimate loyalty to Sekiro. Of these Axe Wolves were Four Generals that each commanded a legion within the overarching Wushu army. These four generals were Sekiro’s most loyal and trusted warriors as they were present for the Four Year Scourge and served him well. The First General Ken Kenji, the Second Masaaki, the Third Ren and the Fourth Nara. Across from this, inside the Wushu Clan, there were some that had lost faith in Sekiro and grew worrisome about his future plans as there were murmurs that once he had defeated the Knighthood, he planned on overthrowing the Emperor of Japan and invade the newly independent United States of America in an attempt to increase his reach and power and later on complete the ultimate goal. Total domination over Asia. Among these doubters were most notably Master Hanan, Ah-Yeon and Heyoon. Angered and emotional when he found out that Hanan doubted him and ridiculed him for his warmongering as Hanan witnessed the atrocities that Sekiro committed during the Four Year Scourge. Sekiro, in dramatic fashion, had the man that he was mentored by and grew under, exiled and cast out from the Clan as he could not execute him or have someone else to do it. To ensure that none would rise up under the inspiration of Hanan and challenge Sekiro for the seat, he had the entire Wushu Council executed by his Axe Wolves and essentially became the Council himself along with his four generals. With his power secured and fear installed within the spirits of the other members, Sekiro initiated what would be the last days of his preparation for the next great crusade. Sekiro would also start to change and meddle with the philosophy and teachings of the original Daimyo, Master Wushu. This was the final straw for Ah-Yeon and Heyoon. They secretly left the Temple under the cover of night as it was not permissible for members to leave under their own volition. Only Sekiro or death could allow them such a thing. They searched for Hanan and located him after seven days of ceaseless pursuit by Sekiro’s Axe Wolves. They managed to evade capture by paying a fisherman to transport them to China. There, they not only found Hanan but also a young dishwasher boy who Hanan believed to be their last hope of stopping Sekiro and his Axe Wolves. The dishwasher’s name would not be recorded in the Wushu archives and he would be known in history by the moniker of “Shikoku no Kyūseishu” or the Savior of Shikoku, given to him by the locals. Skeptical at first but over the next years of hiding and spending time with the dishwasher, Ah-Yeon and Heyoon finally understood why Hanan thought him to be the one to stop Sekiro and his followers outside of and within the Wushu Clan. Second Clash With the Eternal Knighthood Giving up the search for Ah-Yeon and Heyoon in 1794, Sekiro moved his attention to strategizing his next military campaign. His four generals that were sent on reconnaissance two years earlier, reported that the 5th Eternal King, Sir Mycroft Arthur I was marching through Asia with his army and had reclaimed a number of regions that Sekiro took during his first campaign. Sir Mycroft became King at the age of 19 in 1786 when Sekiro killed Sir Richard and thus he was inexperienced as to how to command an army effectively, Sekiro knew of this and cleverly developed tactics specifically aimed at Sir Mycroft’s flaws as a military leader. Reports indicated that the Knighthood was heading towards the Songhua river, a sacred and tactical position that the Clan had reclaimed during the Four Year Scourge. Sekiro and his troops met Sir Mycroft’s army at the western front of the river in 1796 and battled there for 6 hours, in the seventh hour Sekiro’s plan came to fruition as his Axe Wolves emerged from the river and flanked the Knighthood’s army behind their front lines. Stunned, the Knights could not rearrange their positioning and were tactically outmaneuvered. While their numbers dwindled, Sekiro came across Sir Mycroft and his Nobles, alone. Exchanging words at first glance, Sekiro dueled the Nobles and beheaded every one of them in a matter of seconds. Sekiro set his sight on Sir Mycroft whose helmet had broken so Sekiro could see the fear in his eyes. They dueled for a short while until Sir Mycroft was gruesomely butchered by Sekiro. This disturbed some of the Clan’s members there. With the King and his Nobles dead, the rest of the army had no chance and were swiftly decimated. There were no survivors left. This severely crippled the Knighthood as most of their army was present at the 5th Battle of Songhua and with Sir Mycroft dead, they were left with no eligible heir as his son, William, was only ten years of age. This was the battle where Sekiro earned the moniker of ”King Slayer”, having killed two Eternal Kings. Sekiro returned to Kyoto for a final time to recuperate and fulfill his most grand scheme, take over Japan, destroy the other Clans and become Emperor. With the forces of the nation put together with his Wushu troops, he would possess an army like no other before and could launch a devastating campaign against the Knighthood and Europe, who he deemed as inferior. The Endgame A year had passed since the battle at Songhua, and the four generals returned from a scouting trip looking for intel on the whereabouts of the Knighthood’s main Castle. They reported that the Knighthood Castle was in the south of England and that William, heir to the throne, was most likely there. Sekiro readied his forces and coordinated his coup against Japan. At this point, he ordered all members of the Wushu Clan to refer to him as Emperor, not Daimyo. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Sekiro, Hanan and Kyūseishu had been training for the past couple of years in a remote area in the Russian wilderness, honing the dishwasher’s skills and capability. He was to lead the uprising and bring about victory over Sekiro. At some point during his training, they were approached by the Eternal Guardian, William and the Grand Noble of the Eternal Knighthood, Lord Zedekiah Edwards who had survived the battle of Songhua secretly and was serving as interim leader of the Knighthood and mentoring the young William until he would come of age and take up his crown as King. Startled at first, but under the wisdom of Hanan, they spoke with the Knighthood members and heard what they had to say. The Grand Noble, Zedekiah, proposed that they could join forces with whatever was left of the Wushu adherents of old and the Knighthood’s remaining but shortened supply of Knights or be destroyed by Sekiro and his followers of fierce loyalty. Hesitant at first but Hanan knew that this was what destiny had planned for them and in concordance with Ah-Yeon, Heyoon and Kyūseishu, agreed to Zedekiah’s idea. Sailing back to Japan, Hanan recruited many who were willing to oppose Sekiro and join the fight with Kyūseishu and the former Hands, while Zedekiah returned to the Knighthood’s Castle to ready the remnants of their army. In the process of a couple of months, Hanan had managed to amass a considerable group of rebels from the other Clans and even got a number of current Wushu members to defect from Sekiro and join Kyūseishu. They managed to remain under the radar for a while but the four generals heard rumors of a growing rebellion and reported to Sekiro. Determined to stop this rebellion, Sekiro went out with his Axe Wolves in search of these traitors. Days of hunting ended in success as Sekiro was able to corner two hooded rebels, Hanan and Ah-Yeon. In order to ensure that the rebellion survived, Hanan ordered Kyūseishu and Heyoon to retreat a different path than them, hence him being cornered by Sekiro. Out of curiosity, Sekiro had the rebels unmasked and was shocked to see Hanan. After being mocked, Sekiro orders his Axe Wolves to execute them. Hanan and Ah-Yeon were able to fend off the Sekiro loyalists, this prompted Sekiro to fight them himself, without the help of his four generals at his behest. He bested them by delivering a fatal blow to Ah-Yeon and incapacitate Hanan on purpose with a swift low kick to the legs. Greatly somber, he looked at his former teacher with tearful eyes as Sekiro impaled Hanan in the stomach, killing him. And from afar, Kyūseishu watched Sekiro kill the man who came to be like a father to him. This sparked a wrathful thirst for vengeance that could have potentially compromised him as a leader. Returning to Kyoto, Sekiro had all of his Axe Wolves ready up and move out in a large scale manhunt as he knew that Hanan and Ah-Yeon were not the only ones of this rebellion and that Hanan was most certainly not the leader of it. The Duel Atop the Lake In two full weeks, Sekiro and his band of hunters were unable to locate Kyūseishu and the rebels. Growing rancorous and impatient, Sekiro came up with a scheme that would draw them out. After his numerous changes to the Clan and increased militant focus, one result was a more developed weapon of war Sekiro intended to use on Japan and Europe. A weapon that incorporated fireworks and the newly discovered gunpowder, had the potential to wreak devastating havoc on the environment and its inhabitants. Sekiro’s plan was to scorch the regions of Japan until the rebels would show themselves, specifically the leader of it. Not only would the majority of the land be rendered uninhabitable, but the civilian casualties would be catastrophic. His first target, Shikoku. News of this plan reached Kyūseishu and Heyoon and immediately they resorted to a brazen and sudden contingency in order to stop this madness and defeat Sekiro. It was at this point that Lord Zedekiah returned with a handful of Knights along with the Eternal Guardian and William. Knowing that this was the last chance, Kyūseishu came up with a plan that would use the weapon and Sekiro’s arrogance to their advantage. Sekiro and his four generals moved into Shikoku with their Axe Wolves by January of 1798. Sekiro knew that the rebels were coming as he had the info purposefully of his scorched earth plan leaked to lead them to him. Kyūseishu and Lord Zedekiah’s forces met with Sekiro and his loyalists beside a frozen lake. Marveling at the fact that old warriors, a number of former Wushu members and Knighthood members would join forces and be lead by a dishwasher, Sekiro called Hanan a fool to think that Kyūseishu could lead the insurgency and stop him. Ordering his Axe Wolves to attack, the two groups engaged in a battle that would go down as the most important for both the Clan and the Knighthood in their histories. The four generals moved in and fought with Kyūseishu, Heyoon and the Eternal Guardian while Zedekiah would attempt to hold off the Wolf’s Hand for as long as he could. Ken Kenji fought with Kyūseishu until he was surprised by William, who stabbed him with a sword in his side. Ren and Masaaki engaged the Eternal Guardian and gave him a challenge but were ultimately cut down by the King’s Royal protector. Heyoon and Nara dueled on top of a structure and were even in their skillset but Heyoon outmaneuvered Nara and kicked her off of the structure. With Sekiro’s four generals dead, the momentum was on the rebel’s side until Sekiro defeated Zedekiah and sliced his head in half in front of William. Intending on killing the boy and ending the Eternal bloodline, Sekiro was stopped in his tracks by Kyūseishu, who baited him onto the lake in a duel that would be watched by both sides and the civilians of the region. Kyūseishu knew that he could not defeat Sekiro in a fight, however, that was not his intention. The plan was to keep him on the frozen lake until the Wushu Sentinels that were on their side and the Shadow Knights had taken control of Sekiro’s weapon. The duel between the two was described by those present as one of the most impressive and graceful duels in history. It was so stunning that all of the combatants stopped and watched as the two great martial artists went at it on the lake. At a certain point, Kyūseishu exhausted himself as Sekiro’s ceaseless offensive was too overwhelming for him. But it was at this time Heyoon signaled to him that the weapon was ready to be unleashed. In a quick succession of moves, Kyūseishu was able to dodge Sekiro’s advance and knock him to the ground while propelling himself to solid ground. Sekiro, in a dazed look of acceptance and defeat, watched as the weapon fired it’s a ball of heat and fire upon him and instantly killed Sekiro as it broke the ice and Sekiro’s mutilated body sank to the bottom of the lake. In the aftermath of his death, the civilians and Wushu reformists celebrated as a time of peace had been restored. The Knighthood survivors thanked Kyūseishu for his help and the Eternal Guardian went back to the castle with William. The civilians hailed Kyūseishu as their savior and many of the new Wushu members proclaimed him to be their new Daimyo as he had defeated Sekiro and had a claim to the title of Daimyo. But he declined and went off alone in another journey that would take him to a far off nation. Many of the Wushu supporters of Sekiro present at the battle, renounced their former leader and allowed the former members back into the Clan, among them Heyoon who would be instrumental in providing a seamless transition of leadership within the Clan. The weapon that was used to kill Sekiro and other versions of it was destroyed before it was mass-produced and the records of the schematics for it were buried. The Knighthood and the Clan later discussed when William turned 17 years of age to split the annexed territories during the Sekiro Era between themselves and a long period of peace would ensue before Sir William’s son, Sir Mycroft II would yet again engage the Clan in a proxy war for an archaic artifact. The remaining Axe Wolves would go into hiding until eventually being destroyed in 1812 by the new Daimyo and the Wushu Clan. Legacy Only Wushu himself can say that his legacy exceeds that of Sekiro. During his life, Sekiro killed and conquered more than any Wushu member could fathom. Being one of the few individuals in history that defeated and killed an Eternal King, two nonetheless, Sekiro also defeated a sitting Daimyo and is thus the only one to hold that achievement of having killed both an Eternal King and a sitting Daimyo in his lifetime. In his wake a number of laws would be passed within the Clan to establish a stricter criterion for who could claim the title of Daimyo to avoid another conquering extremist regime, these laws would be known as The Sekiro Law. The era after his death would be known as the Post-Sekiro Era and the one preceding would the Pre-Sekiro Era. Considered to be the greatest fighter, martial artist, acrobat and overall warrior the Clan ever produced, second after Wushu himself although some would place Sekiro above him due to his achievements and ability to use every weapon on disposal. Many in the Post-Sekiro Era would believe that the Wushu Clan would hold him in high approval among the greatest Daimyos ever but the Clan does not share this sentiment as he broke all of the Clan’s codes and rules of conduct and attempted to change their belief system that was established by Wushu centuries ago, something that the Clan appropriates as blasphemous and sacrilegious. Thus they remember him as Sekiro the Dreadful that brought dishonor and prideful humiliation to the Clan and the mandate of heaven title, the Daimyo. He not only conquered more than any Daimyo before him, but he also came the closest to destroying the Eternal Knighthood and ending the Eternal bloodline that started with Sir James Arthur. Sir Mycroft Arthur II would later excavate Sekiro’s remains and shattered armor, dual katanas and a broken longsword that remained at the bottom of a lake for a century. He had his armor propped up and encased in a glass showcase and put on display as well as his weapons in the Hall of Relics inside the main castle as a sign of the Knighthood’s triumph over him. His remains were left at the bottom of the lake as he had no use for them. Oroku Masashi would later retrieve Sekiro’s remains in 2004 and have them placed upon an altar for worship and veneration by his Axe Wolves. When he was defeated, Chen Chao asked Huyang, the chief archivist at the time, to place the remains in a safe place inside the Temple, secretly to formally erase the legend of Sekiro The Axe Wolves and Sekiro loyalists would posthumously worship him as a deity and attempt to overthrow the successor of Sekiro and finish what he started. They were put down in early 1812 and most of the loyalists were either executed, imprisoned and some were even rehabilitated and inducted into the Clan. The locals of the regions that Sekiro conquered would pass down tales of his myth as a cruel warlord and destroyer of culture that was later used to scare children into listening to their elders. A prophecy would stem from his death that a similar warrior to him would arise and attempt to take over the Clan by force and repeat the actions of Sekiro, “a man with Sekiro’s spirit reborn” is what the scroll written by the Wushu Sage that prophesied this, said. This prophecy would come true in the 21st century when Oroku Masashi revived the Axe Wolves and their creed and attempted to dominate the Clan and become Daimyo. He was foiled in his action by Chen Chao, the last Daimyo. Personality Cunning, ambitious and determined, unlike any other Daimyo. A rough childhood would harden Sekiro and make him a coarse and icy individual that many would fear or stay away from at first however others are drawn to him as he has an aura to him that oozes charisma and authority. Sekiro is a man not to be trifled with, dominating and commanding, he won’t tolerate shenanigans from others and if you do not submit, he will make you. A mongoloid supremacist, he labels the other two races as inferior and his service as Daimyo would be the most racist and oppressive as he instilled a racial rule, only accepting members of Asian descent and banishing those that weren’t. Despite him not engaging in as many intellectual conversations and debates as a Daimyo should, he held great understanding and knowledge over the Clan’s philosophy, so much so that he found rational and philosophical flaws with it and disagreed with much that was written in the scrolls and so attempted to change it to fit his own conceptual ideas, an act that was inexcusable, he would’ve been stripped of his status as Daimyo but without the council, no one could challenge him and hold him accountable. A passion and natural leader, Sekiro is capable of commanding an army effectively and proficiently. An extremely arrogant and prideful individual, Sekiro knows completely that his abilities and skills are superior to those around and he is not ashamed to show out and humiliate his opponent, however, it was this arrogance and egomania that cost him dearly and he suffered his only defeat in a battle or duel because of this errant trait. Powers and Abilities To be added Relationships To be added